


Between the Lines

by smileymee16



Category: After Series - Anna Todd
Genre: College, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-08
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2021-01-25 08:16:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21353077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smileymee16/pseuds/smileymee16
Summary: Tessa Young's life has been molded into the perfect life; jock boyfriend; straight A's, big house. She was always so sure of everything she's ever needed to do. That is, until college came around. Can the sudden freedom from her mother's perfect image of her break her free? Will her father's secret break a relationship that always hanging by a string?*A/U based off the Story 'After' by Anna Todd. I do not own the characters or places in this story. Story-line has been altered to fit the contents of this alternate story.
Relationships: Hardin Scott/Tessa Young
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	Between the Lines

I dreaded the day since I woke up that morning. I forced myself to stay in bed a little longer than usual, just to avoid getting ready and actually prepare for what the day had in store for me. I knew my mother was upset with me, but she was too preoccupied with making sure she looked absolutely perfect, to focus on my tardiness.

I stood an extra 10 minutes in the shower, letting the hot water run down my body aimlessly. I made sure my legs were perfectly shaven. I plucked any straggling eyebrows. I did anything and everything I was able to do before I had to finally convince myself it was time to leave. I silently cursed at my mother who disallowed me another 30 minutes of packing the car to delay the process even more. She insisted and persisted that we pack up the car the night before, so we ‘could have less time packing and more time getting you out of here’. She was very unkind sometimes.

I was excited for college, I really was, but I was nervous. What if my roommate doesn’t like me? Will Noah and I stay together? What if I can’t make any friends? So many thoughts ran through my head, but there was always one thought that scared me the most. What if I can’t handle it? I was always an organized person. My life has been completely planned out since the second I came into this world. Going to Washington Central University was going to be the first time in 18, almost 19, years of my life, that I was completely independent. While my mother wasn’t going to be physically there with me, she wasn’t going to watch my every move, which relieved some of the anxiety.

“Tessa!” I heard the high-pitched voice of the blonde middle-aged woman as I finished putting on mascara. I didn’t want to look terrible on move-in day, and God knows my mother was going to say something if I didn’t put anything on.

I looked at myself in the mirror, my hair, make-up, and clothing hiding any and all fear emanating from within me. I felt my heart race a million miles a minute, and my palms kept sticking to my hair from the sweat. I was a mess, but at least I looked nice. I stared back at the green-eyed girl before me, and prayed she somehow developed the courage to leave her bedroom.

“Theresa, your mother is going frantic, please come down.” I heard the deep voice of my father. I slightly cringed at the mention of my full name.

I looked at the outfit I had on; a blue floral dress with short sleeves, a jean vest, and black combat. I wasn’t sure if the outfit was appropriate to be lugging bins and boxes up flights of stairs, but I needed to look presentable. I needed to look noticeable. I thought to myself. I moved my hair behind my ears, grabbed my phone, and headed the downstairs.

“Morning.” I greeted my parents. My mother was hovering over the kitchen counter, pouring coffee into three mugs. I knew caffeine was probably not a great idea with my nerves already being at an all-time high, but I also knew I wasn’t going to be able to function without it. My father sat at the table near the window, reading a newspaper.

“Tessa, a dress? Really?” my mother asked when she turned to provide me with my fuel for the day. I immediately felt my cheeks become stove tops, and I opened my mouth to protest, but was cut-off by my mother.  
“I guess it’s fine. I laid out a beautiful blouse with a pink cardigan for you, I thought that would’ve looked better, but it’s too late now. We need to leave.”  
“She looks fine! But, your mother’s right, Theresa, we need to go. I have to be back by 1 for work.” my father smiled as he stood up with his coffee mug and headed towards the door. I rolled my eyes at his statement. If that man knew how to do anything in his life, is was to work.

As we headed out to door, I turned around one last time to observe my childhood home. The white paint looked fresh, and the flowers in the garden in the front seemed freshly planted. We lived in a typical “cookie cutter” neighborhood. Where the parents worked every day, and the kids partied every night. Everyone knew everybody, and if there was ever a scandal, we fought long and hard to keep in the neighborhood. The entire town was like that actually. I liked to think that’s why my parents treated me the way they did and formed my life the way they did. They didn’t want me to the hot topic of the town. They wanted all eyes off of me, and on the next teenager who did something for “attention”, or so they said.

“Will Noah be meeting us at your dorm?” my mother asked as we got in the car. I sat in the backseat and buckled myself in before answering her.  
“Yeah. He has soccer practice this morning, so he’ll be there 30 minutes late.”  
“Well, that’s inconvenient, but I guess we could start without him, I can’t be late for book club at the church.” I rolled my eyes at her comment and stared out the window as I looked at every house that looked exactly like mine pass me by in a blur.

Noah was my boyfriend of 3years. Although we knew each other since practically birth, we never actually made anything official until my Freshmen, his Sophomore, year of high school. He was always so secure and caring. I remember the first night we had sex, he kept asking me if I was oaky, and if he needed me to stop at any moment. He was safe, and I knew I had a future with him. That was one of the many qualities I loved about Noah. He was my best friend and I did love him, but I always felt that love should’ve felt … stronger. Although he is a year above me, we always knew we were both going to WCU. That’s where our parents met actually. Noah and I attending WCU was never a choice, or really a hopeful dream. Attending WCU was always something that would happen. I don’t even remember applying to a back-up college in-case something were to happen. WCU was definite, just like me and Noah. Or so I made myself believe.

During the drive to WCU, I fell asleep, and before I knew it, we were parked in front of the Freshmen buildings.

I thought my heart was beating as fast it was able to in the morning, but I was no way compared to the way it fluttered as we grabbed my belongings and made our way to my room. We politely pushed and shoved our way through countless first-year students and their families. I thought my mom was about to faint when someone bumped into her while blowing smoke from their vape.

“22B right Theresa?” my father asked as we rode the elevator up to the second floor.  
“Yep.” I replied, shifting the weight from the bin in my hands.

As the elevator doors opened, a male student, around my age maybe older, greeted us, green eyes forcing the trees to seem dull. His brown hair was curled, but it didn’t seem like he cared about styling it. His attire was all-black despite the 90-degree weather the beginning of the school year presented us with. He was tall, taller than my dad, and he seemed thin. I traced the visible tattoos with my eyes and admired the way the birds were drawn. I looked back up the green-eyes stranger, and immediately began to feel heat he greeted my blue eyes.

“Excuse me?” my mother stated in a sharp tone. His eyes shifted in her direction, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.  
“You’re excused.” He replied, an English accent rolling through with his words. I noticed my mom drop her shoulders, and her lips pursed in a thin and straight line.  
“If you could, please, move out of our way, that would be great.” She retorted, emphasizing the please with gritted teeth.

The green-eyed stranger’s grin grew to a smile as he shifted to one side. His gaze returned to mine for a moment before lowering his head and focusing on the floor. My mother and father began to walk past him, and as I went to follow in their footsteps, he caught his bottom lips between his teeth, and looked back up. My cheeks immediately lit up and I tried my best to catch up with my parents, hoping he couldn’t hear my already thumping heart.

“If this is how students at this school are, I am going to pull-her and home-school myself!” my mother softly shouted in my father’s direction as we attempted to find my room. I rolled my eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

As we stood outside my dorm room for the next two semesters, the bin in my heads began to slip from the sweat build up in my hands. I slowly shifted the bin to my left arm as I reached into my jean-vest pocket to find the key. I felt, and noticed, my hand trembling as I inserted the key. Although I secretly hoped that my soon-to-be roommate didn’t arrive yet, I was anxious, and the organized person within me had a burning desire to finally put a face to a name.

As we walked into the room, the scent of incense and marijuana filled my nostrils. One bed was horizontally pushed up against the corner to the right, a tapestry gracefully falling from the wall, as Christmas lights hung around it. The next bed, presumably my bed, was pushed against the wall with the windows, with the head of the bed pushed against the back wall. I quickly looked around and noticed a bookshelf from floor to ceiling, a smile instantly forming on my lips.

“Hey!” I heard the red-headed girl say. I focused my attention back to the stranger and smiled.  
“Hi.” I replied, setting my bin on the empty bed. “Tessa.” I greeted and extended my hand. My roommate laughed as she got up from the bed and returned my invitation.  
“Steph.” She commented. Her focus turned towards my parents, and my heart began to race again.

Steph stood at about 3 inches taller, with curly red-hair, and a slim figure. Her breasts were pressed and pushed against her body, which protruded from her sheer shirt. Her legs were hiding behind ripped fish-net stockings, and black shorts. A belt hung low on her hips, and I quickly questioned the purpose of it. Her almond eyes were hiding behind thick black eye linger and purple glitter eyeshadow. Her arm displayed a tiny tattoo, and her ears had more piercings than anyone I’ve ever known. While she wasn’t the typical person I would consider a ‘friend’, she seemed nice.  
“Um, these are my parents, Carol and Richard.” I introduced my parents and pointed to each of them as I spoke their names. My mother returned the greeting with a fake smile, and my father seemed extremely uninterested, and shifted the items in his hand to look at his watch. I looked back to Steph was returning their greeting with her own fake smile. I wished for a powerful being to swallow me up in this moment and end it all.  
“Well, I’ll leave you to get settled.” I thanked Steph and smiled as she walked out the room, closing the door behind her.

While I knew my mother clearly disapproved of Steph as my roommate, she completely dismissed her own advice, and kept quiet as we walked back down to get the rest of the stuff. As we walked toward the car, the silhouette of a curly-blonde haired boy appeared in our line of vision. My frown disappeared, and a friendly smiled played on my lips.

“Hey!” I said, closing the space between me and Noah. We hugged and laid a small and innocent kiss on each other’s lips.  
“How was the drive?” his matching blue eyes met mine, and a small glimmer appeared as smiled.  
“I fell asleep.” I confessed and leaned into him.  
“Quick, Richard sped down the freeway, I swear I saw my life flash before my eyes.” My mother exclaimed.  
“I was going the speed limit, Carol. Okay, maybe I was going a little faster, but we needed to get her here. Remember, I have to work at 1.” My father replied with clear annoyance in his voice. I looked at Noah who gave me an apologetic look.

We unloaded the car, and everything was out in less than 20 minutes with Noah’s help. My mother seemed to care about leaving me behind, and my dad was more preoccupied with his phone call to say goodbye. I waved them goodbye as they shut the door behind them. I sighed and threw myself on my twin bed, ignoring the clothes sprawled out everywhere.

With Noah in the room unpacking my things, and my parents on the way back home to live their lives absolutely no different than to how I was there, the fear I had that morning washed through me. Of course I was going to make it. I’ve made it basically on my own up until that point, what was a few more years? Of course Noah and I were going to last. We know each other, we’re comfortable, and we’re secure. Finally, while Steph wasn’t the typical person I would purposefully gravitate towards, she was still open and inviting; I was going to make friends, that I decided on. College was different than home life I admitted that, but that’s how it was supposed to be. It was supposed to be challenging and unfamiliar. I was just completely unaware of how challenging and unfamiliar it was actually going to get.


End file.
